


Heart Don't Stand a Chance

by hello_yue_here



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Aromantic Toph Beifong, Azula & Zuko (Avatar) Have a Good Relationship, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Bisexual Disaster Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Disaster Zuko (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, It makes sense trust me, Jet is not an asshole, Jin is a major character as she DESERVES, M/M, Miscommunication, No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Past Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Past Sokka/Yue (Avatar), he and sokka dont vibe but jet isn't an asshole, it's the bachelorette they're all drunk the entire time, its not zukka if there isn't miscommunication amirite?, no beta we die like jet, she is the bachelorette hehe, stoner Iroh lmao, the bachelorette au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28682064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hello_yue_here/pseuds/hello_yue_here
Summary: Voice over: On October 8th, the most shocking season of the Bachelorette premieres[The Bachelorette, Jin Yu, is seen sitting on a bench taking shaky breaths while talking to the host Piandao]“I can’t believe this is happening,” Jin says while holding her crying face in her hands.And when we say shocking…[Contestant Zuko Hidaka is seen elbowing contestant Sokka Amaruq in the face]“Get off of me Sokka!” Zuko yells as he tries to break free of Sokka’s grip.We mean shocking.~~~Or: The Zukka Bachelorette AU that no one asked for.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Jin/Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Sokka/Jin (Avatar), Sokka/Yue (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 77
Kudos: 142





	1. there's something i'm missing

**Author's Note:**

> welcome!!! I am very excited for this fic. this and my Yuekka fic (check it out y'all) are my babies rn. 
> 
> disclaimers:  
> -i have seen like 2 seasons of this show, so if you're a duehard Bachelor/Bachelorette fan be warned, it will not be entirely accurate to the real show itself lol  
> -I'll have TW before each chapter where something might happen (very unlikely that I will have anything too triggering tho, I don't intend to make anything that's too dark but I'll be mindful if I do!)  
> -I have looked up some of the rules for the show in order to make it seem more realistic but also this is MY au, so I do what I want hehe  
> -let me know what you think!
> 
> Title from "Heart Don't Stand a Chance" by Anderson .Paak (great song give it a listen)
> 
> chapter 1 title from “Bored” by Janeece

_Voice over: On October 8th, the most shocking season of the Bachelorette premieres_

[The Bachelorette, Jin Yu, is seen sitting on a bench taking shaky breaths while talking to the host Piandao]

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Jin says while holding her crying face in her hands.

_And when we say shocking…_

[Contestant Zuko Hidaka is seen elbowing contestant Sokka Amaruq in the face]

“Get _off of me_ Sokka!” Zuko yells as he tries to break free of Sokka’s grip.

_We mean shocking._

[The camera follows contestants Aang Gyaltsen and Jet Sharma as they run outside.]

“What do you _mean_ the two of them broke out? Are they running away together? Is this another Colton Underwood situation?!” Jet exclaims while gesturing wildly.

[The scene cuts to an unknown contestant giving Jin a boost over a fence and swiftly jumping over it himself, followed by the couple running away laughing.]

_Hold on to your horses…_

[Contestant Daniel Hartman is seen riding in on a white stallion for his first impression dressed as Prince Charming]

_Strap in…_

[Jin and contestants Lucas Bambara, Hahn Ujurak, Haru Doi, Vincent Scaramuzzi, Teo Huan, and Jason Greene are all seen boarding a bright yellow roller coaster]

_And grab a bottle of Jin…_

[Multiple clips flash of Jin and different contestants filling up champagne flutes and wine glasses, and clinking glasses]

_Because this is the most Romantic…_

[the scene cuts to a clip of Jin and contestant Zuko Hidaka. Jin places a hand on Zuko’s cheek and turns his face to meet hers in a kiss]

_Steamy…_

[A clip of Jin and Contestant Chan Masuda sharing a passionate kiss inside of a sauna]

_And passionate season in Bachelorette history._

[Contestant Sokka Amaruq is seen holding Jin’s hands in his own as he leans towards her. His eyes are glassy and her smile is wide.]

“I’m telling you, Jin, we have a _real_ connection.” Sokka says.

_And get ready for the biggest twist that Bachelor nation has ever seen._

[A scene of Jin walking away from a garden oasis that has a curtain of flowery vines closing off the entrance. Her hands are not shown in the clip, but her smile is wide, and her eyes are sparkling]

_Join our newest Bachelorette Jin Yu, as she embarks on the quest for true love, when the Bachelorette returns on Tuesday October 8th!_

~~~

“Katara, I’m home, and yes I did remember to pick up your weird incense stuff this time,” Sokka yelled as he entered his sister’s apartment.

He had been crashing there for the week because his apartment complex was being fumigated after the discovery of _another_ roach infestation. He’d move in there two years ago, but this is the fourth infestation they’ve had. It’s disgusting and perfectly on par for how Sokka’s life has been going lately. Maybe Katara will help him find a newer- and not roach infested- apartment.

Katara walks into the kitchen area from her bedroom wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants, a ratty diving team sweatshirt from high school, and a t-shirt on her head.

“Thanks, and it is _not_ weird, it smells nice and gets rid of the negative energy your cynical ass brings here every time you visit,” she says as she grabs the bag from him.

Sokka ignores her insult about negative energy- his energy is _super_ positive okay?- and asks, “Why are you wearing a shirt on your head?”

“I don’t know, tiktok said it was supposed to make my hair look nice after you shower. Anyways, now that you’re home we can watch the newest episode of Grey’s Anatomy together.”

“‘Tara you know I don’t watch that show.”

“Humor me?” She hit Sokka with the trademark Amaruq puppy dog eyes™, but there was something else in her expression… something mischievous.

Sokka decided to ignore it, rolled his eyes, and said: “Fine, but I get the good blanket.”

Once the siblings were settled on opposite ends of the couch Katara queued up her recording. The show was good, Sokka couldn’t follow all that well, but Katara gave him background and he had to admit he was kind of getting sucked in to this Miranda character’s quick delivery and confident attitude.

Soon enough the first commercial played, a dumb promo with a ridiculously attractive black man posing and grinning while rose petals fell around him. Sokka had to admit, he saw the appeal of the show, mainly the appeal of the attractive men and women, but he couldn’t get past how odd the whole ordeal seemed. Typically Katara would fast forward right through, but instead she turned to Sokka and said:

“Oh look, the newest season of the bachelor, how neat.” 

There was something off about her voice. Katara tended to sound a little robotic when she was planning or something. 

“Okayyy… are you gonna fast forward now?” 

“I think you’d do well on the Bachelorette,” Katara said, trying a little too hard to be casual. Sokka had no idea why she was acting strange, but that didn’t stop him from being suspicious. 

“Are you planning something?” 

“What? No!” she replied a little too quickly, “All I’m saying is that I think you’d be an ideal contestant.”

Sokka looked at his sister with a raised eyebrow, “My dear sister Katara, I think I’m going crazy, but did you just compliment me?”

“I’m serious Sokka! Plus I’m gonna compliment you again because I know that if you try to tell anyone they’re never gonna believe you,” she smiles smugly.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“I’m going to. I think you should apply for the next season of the Bachelorette. You’re smart, you’re funny, you’re attractive, America would love you and so will that girl.”

“Kat, are you feeling alright? You just gave me like four compliments in a row.” 

“Come on Sokka, just think about it.”

“Where is this all coming from? You know me ‘Tara, I’m not the kind of desperate loser who needs reality tv to find love,” Sokka had a feeling he knew this was about. He hadn’t gone on a date in three years, but he was fine with that. No one else was Yue.

Katara paused the tv and turned to her brother with concern written across her face, “Sokka, I’m worried about you-”

“Kat-” before Sokka could finish his sentence, Katara took the damp t-shirt out of her hair and threw it at his head.

“No, shut up, you’re gonna listen to me now,” she leveled him with a gaze, daring him to interrupt her again. Sokka was too smart to try again, because sometimes his sister was scary. 

“You’re ready to get back out there, Sokka,” Katara said, “I know that you’re afraid to start dating again but it’s been _three years_ , and I know how hard it’s been for you, but I also know that you’ve come so far. You’ve made so much progress and you’re finally letting yourself be happy again, so now it’s time for you to let yourself feel love again. If anyone deserves it, it’s you.”

Sokka looked away from Katara’s stare. Damn, how did she always know exactly what to say to make him feel all emotional and gushy? He knew that he had gotten better emotionally, and yeah he was proud of it, but was he really ready for love? It took forever for his dads and Katara to convince him to even leave his apartment after Yue died, and even longer to convince him to see a therapist. He wouldn’t necessarily say he was over it, but he liked to think he’s gotten better at dealing with it. 

But healthy coping mechanisms and trying to find love again are two very different things.

“Look, Katara, I know that I’ve gotten better, but I still don’t know if I even can put myself out there again. I haven’t- I haven’t even been on a date since-” He started getting choked up. _Deep breath, Sokka,_ “well, you know what I’m trying to say. I don’t even know how to go about meeting someone! Let alone planning dates, second-guessing if they even find me attractive, getting to know them, meeting their family-”

“And _that’s_ where the show comes in, Sokka! You won’t have to plan any dates and as long as you make it past night one the girl will be totally into you!” Katara reasoned. She did make a pretty good point, he wouldn’t have to worry about planning any dates and the confirmation that a girl would already be interested in him sounds like a pretty sweet deal…

Sokka had thought about dating again for a few months now. He even tried downloading tinder and bumble, but he never got further than a sad attempt at flirting through the messages. He just hadn’t clicked with anyone in the same way with Yue. In all honesty, he was afraid he’d never find that same spark with anyone ever again.

“And what if it doesn’t work out, Katara? Then what? I put myself out there and get embarrassed on national television.” He argued. 

“Well, then you could always be chosen as a future bachelor, or fans from everywhere would be throwing themselves at you. You’ll have men and women from all over trying to make a move on you. As I said before, you aren’t ugly,” She shrugged.

It was starting to get harder and harder to argue with his little sister, “That’s the third time you’ve called me wildly attractive-”

“I never said _wildly_ attrac-”

“Which _means_ that you must really want me to do this, huh?”

She sighed and placed her hand on his knee, she looked him in the eyes with utmost sincerity, “I really think this could be a good thing for you Sokka. It could be really fun and you could meet The One, and live happily ever after, and if not it won’t be the end of the world, at least you can say you’ve been on tv. So what do you say?”

“Put the damn show on again, I need a minute to think about this and I would prefer to have Meredith Grey yelling at interns playing in the background than complete silence”

Katara took his non-answer as a good thing and resumed the show.

Sokka considered it for a little bit more in his head, making a mental pros and cons list of everything that would go into selling his soul to reality tv.

_Pro: He’d fall in love._

_Con: He’d go home early alone, or fall in love with the girl and then they’d break off the engagement or get divorced like most couples from the show do._

_Pro: If he didn’t find love he could become the next bachelor and try again._

_Con: He’d have to he on the show twice and did he really want that?_

_Pro: He’d get to move out of his apartment for a little while._

_Con: Actually nothing comes to mind. Moving out of his apartment sounds pretty fucking great right now._

_Pro: He’d have to buy a new wardrobe._

_Con: Again, nothing comes to mind, he’d use any excuse to go on a shopping spree._

_Pro: Yue would want him to be happy._

Yue would want him to be happy. That was the kicker, wasn’t it? Sokka always thought they’d grow old together, but evidently he couldn’t have that, but he knew her better than anyone, and he knew that she’d support Katara and her crazy reality-tv-star-brother fantasy. 

He decided he needed to sleep on it, but by the time morning had come around, he had no new reasons for why he shouldn’t go for it. 

“Alright” he said as he grabbed a box of cereal from the cabinet.

“Hmm?” Katara looked over to him. She must’ve forgotten their conversation from yesterday and the major life decision that she had just been trying to get Sokka to agree to.

“Alright. Fuck it. Sign me up for the Bachelorette.”

Katara let out a huge sigh, “Oh thank _God_ you agreed. I already submitted your application last week.”

“You _WHAT?!”_

~~~~~

Zuko Hidaka groaned loudly as he entered his Uncle’s house and promptly made his way to the sofa in his living room, opposite the recliner that Iroh was currently smoking in.

Without offering any pleasantries, Zuko dramatically collapsed face-first onto the cushions and announced: “Uncle I am _bored_.”

“Why hello, bored. I’m Iroh.”

“ _No.”_

Uncle Iroh chuckled and lit a joint. Zuko turned his head from where it was smushed into the couch so he could look at his uncle (and, you know, _not_ suffocate).

“Why are you so bored, nephew?” Iroh said as he passed the joint to Zuko.

Zuko took a deep inhale before speaking again, “I’ve noticed something Uncle,” another hit, “my entire life is bland. Nothing exciting ever happens to me. I want to go on like an adventure or something. Cliff diving. Swimming with sharks. Street racing. I don’t know, I probably sound crazy.”

He takes another drag before passing it back to his uncle, who responds “I think you sound perfectly reasonable, Zuko. You were sheltered and controlled as a child and never had any teenage rebellion besides slamming you doors and wearing too much black.”

“I still wear too much black, Uncle,” Zuko says as he looks at his ensemble of black jeans, dark green sweater, black jacket, and black shoes.

“Your sweater is green,” Iroh points out. He gives Zuko another turn.

“It is green. I think it’s a nice shade of green.”

“It looks very well with your skin tone.”

“Thank you, Uncle. Mai said it made me look too pale, like a vampire, but I told her vampires were cool so she could suck it.”

Iroh is lighting a new joint, while Zuko finishes off the first one, and continues his complaints about his drab and dreadful life.

“Remember when I was in love with Mai?”

Iroh gives Zuko a strange look, “You were in love with Mai?”

“Yes, in high school, remember?”

“Ah yes, _that_. You had very strong feelings for her, but was it really love?,” Iroh says with a calm look on his face.

“What? Why wouldn’t it be?” Zuko asked.

“You were in high school, and you broke up before Senior Prom. I’m not saying you didn’t love her, but teenage love is simplistic and pure, but vastly different from the kind of love you feel when you're with the person who you intend to stay with forever. Compared to that love, what you and Mai had was just a strong infatuation.”

Zuko looked at his uncle like he had a second head. He may have sat there for thirty seconds or an hour, but Zuko felt like he stared at him for eternity. After processing what his Uncle said he finally responded.

“I’ve never even been in _love?!?”_ Zuko was scandalized. How was he a 27 years old who had never felt true romantic love. That was so sad.

“That’s so sad, Uncle” Zuko said, “maybe I should just give up and become a cat person.”

“You already are a cat person, nephew.”

Zuko remembered his orange tabby at home, Druk, “ _Oh my god, I’m already a cat person.”_ he groaned as Iroh handed him the new joint. 

“You know what you should do, Zuko?” Iroh began. He leaned forward from his chair and gave Zuko a serious look. Zuko mimicked his uncle’s position, as he was sure this was about to turn into a very serious conversation.

“What?”

“You should audition for the bachelorette.”

Zuko howled with laughter, and pretty sure Iroh joined in too. 

“I am not signing up for your guilty-pleasure show, you crazy super-fan.” Zuko knew all about his uncle’s obsession with the reality show. His uncle typically only watched Japanese films and historical dramas, but for some reason the man had a soft spot for the inherent drama of finding your fiance on national television. 

“I mean it nephew! One of my longtime regulars, Jin, auditioned for the show and made it really far in her season and now she’s returning as the Bachelorette! I think you’d be a good fit together. I wanted to introduce you to her sooner, but you were still living in Boston.”

Zuko’s laughter subsided and he actually took his uncle’s idea into consideration. 

_Reality show, new experience, true love?_

_What could go wrong?_

“Looks like I’m applying for The Bachelorette, Uncle.” 

~~~~~

“SOKKA!” Katara yelled as she ran into the apartment, she ran to where he was laying down on the sofa, watching some documentary about whales while he was _trying_ to take a nap. He had a long day at work today. His boss had spilled coffee all over Sokka’s latest prototype for a water-powered motor, and Sokka spent the rest of the day trying to salvage it. And he was tired and he deserved a nap and he did _not_ deserve for his sister to be screaming in his ear just as sleep was about to take him.

“ _What_ , Katara, I’ve had a long day and I’m really tired and-”

“YOU WERE CHOSEN FOR THE BACHELORETTE!” she shrieked.

Sokka was wide awake now.

There was no way. No. Him? ABC really chose him?

“You’re messing with me right now aren’t you Kat?” she shook her head violently and shoved her phone in his face. On the screen was a confirmation and congratulations email message.

“Holy fuck, I need some new clothes don’t I?”

“You are not dragging me into a shopping spree Sokka,” Katara tried to protest.

“No no no, missy, you dragged me into this, you forced me to do this, you are going shopping with me. End of discussion.” Sokka responded. Katara rolled her eyes fondly.

“Fine, but for the record I did not _force_ you to do anything. I merely peer-pressured you very strongly.” 

~~~

“UNCLE!” Zuko yelled as he barged into his Uncle’s home.

“You can knock before you enter my house you know,” Uncle yelled from the kitchen.

Zuko ran into the kitchen with the confirmation and congratulations email still pulled up on his phone.

“I’m in. They chose me. ABC chose _me_ ”

Iroh stepped away from the tea he was brewing to wrap his nephew in a bone-crushing hug.

“Oh I am so excited for you nephew, this will be a life-changing journey for you. You are going to learn so much about yourself, I just know it.”

“Uncle I’m really only doing this for the free vacation you know that right?”

Iroh sighed, but he grasped his nephew’s shoulders and stared at him dead in the eyes, “Promise me that you will allow yourself to feel all of your emotions when you are there. Be open and willing to accept love should it be given to you, Zuko. If anyone deserves it, it’s you.”

“I promise, Uncle,” Zuko responded. 

“Good. Now call Azula, you need help picking out new outfits and she has the best fashion sense out of the three of us.”


	2. flower's in hand, waiting for me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night One: Part One
> 
> Sokka and Zuko meet Jin, Jet's a little overconfident, and Iroh is the world's best wingman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! so excited about this chapter. I sort of feel like a lot of things are going on in this chapter because I want to make it sort of a mix of the show itself, the boys as they experience everything, and fan reactions, so let me know if you like that! (especially the fan reactions I'm still sorta iffy on how I feel about that lol)
> 
> And without further ado: Enjoy! :)
> 
> (also thank you for your kind comments on the first chapter it really meant a lot <3)
> 
> (chapter title from “angels like you” by Miley Cyrus)

[The camera focuses on the host of The Bachelorette, Piandao Jiang, as he begins the intro to the latest season of the show. He is standing in the middle of the Bachelorette Stage with a live studio audience surrounding him as he speaks. He is wearing a crisp black suit and a golden tie.]

“Last season on the Bachelor, Jin Yu fell head over heels for Bachelor Andrew González.”

[the scene cuts to Jin smiling at an attractive man with tan skin, brown eyes, and curly brown hair who is smiling back at her.]

“ _ Jin, will you accept this rose?” _

_ “Of course! Nothing would make me happier.” _

[Piandao’s narration continues over clips of Jin and Andrew on different dates over the course of Andrew’s season. They are seen kissing on a ferris wheel, chasing each other around at the beach, holding hands and leaning against one another as they watch a street performance, and more.]

“Bachelor nation fell in love with the couple as much as they fell for each other. Viewers across America found a fan favorite in Jin and thought she and Andrew were meant to be. But sadly Jin’s journey was cut short.”

[A montage of Andrew and another contestant, Shaniyah Lawson, flashes on the screen, ending with her accepting Andrew’s proposal plays. As the two of them share a kiss, the scene cuts back to a teary eyed Jin who had just been rejected sitting next to Piandao in a hotel room.]

_ “I really thought he was the one.” _

[The scene cuts back to Piandao on the stage.]

“Tonight, Jin is ready for a second chance at love! Welcome your newest Bachelorette, Jin Yu!”

[The audience erupts in applause and cheers as the scene cuts to footage of Jin walking out of a limousine towards the Bachelorette mansion on night one. She is wearing a form-fitting black gown with one strap over her shoulder. Her hair is done in a braid falling over her shoulder. Her makeup is flawless.]

“Hi Piandao!” She says with a smile as she approaches.

“Welcome back, Jin, we are so excited for you to begin your journey. Now tell me, why did you agree to come back to the show?”

Jin takes a deep breath before beginning, “I found love the first time, I really did. I loved Andrew, but I’m happy for him and Shaniyah, they make a beautiful couple. Really I’m very happy for them. But, I’m not ready to give up on love yet, and who knows? Second time’s a charm!”

“Well, Jin, I wish you the best of luck on your journey for love. Are you ready to meet the love of your life?”

“Bring on the boys!”

~~~

When Sokka Amaruq was a sophomore in high school, he was in a state-wide science competition where he submitted a scaled-down prototype for an electronically-powered submarine inspired by his father’s stories from his time in the Navy.

As he approached the stage to present his invention to the judges, he found himself drenched in sweat and shaking from his anxiety. He was proud of his project. He poured over it for hours in his garage, keeping his family up into the late hours of the night until Katara would come downstairs with acne medication on her face and yell at him to shut up and go to sleep already.

Despite how much he knew his prototype deserved to win, he was so nervous that he stuttered through his entire presentation and nearly passed out afterwards. He still won first place and a prize of $1,000, but he would never forget how terrified he felt that day.

Sokka was currently reliving those emotions, but dialed up to eleven.

_ Why on Earth did I let Katara rope me into this? I can’t do this, it’s too soon. I’m going to make a fool of myself. Why the hell did I think a  _ haiku _ of all things would be a good first impression?!? _

_ Get a grip, Amaruq. _ He took a deep breath and calmed himself. He could do this he knew he could do this. It’s just meeting your potential future wife. No biggie.

Yup, no biggie at all.

He fiddled with his wolf-tail (or high pony as Katara would always tease) one last time as he felt the limo slow down.

_ This is it Sokka, be confident, be funny, be charming, be yourself. She’s gonna love you. _

One last deep breath and he stepped out of the limo and-

Wow.

He was floored when he finally saw her. He had seen a few images of her from her previous stint on the show, but seeing Jin in person?

No picture could do her justice.

She was standing in front of a marble staircase, leading to a beautifully decorated mansion lined with palm trees and hibiscus bushes. Jin’s braid cascaded over her shoulder and was adorned with tiny golden leaf clips. Her black dress had a slight shimmer to it and every time she moved, the sparkles reminded him of the night sky. Her pink lipgloss highlighted her blinding and genuine smile, and her subtle eyeliner enhanced her rich brown eyes.

She was gorgeous.

And Sokka was sweating.

_ Be cool. _

He walked over to her with a confident (but not cocky) stride and let a charming smile appear on his face.

“Hey, you look -  _ wow - _ you look amazing. I’m Sokka,” he said as he leaned in to greet her with a hug, she had to lean upwards a little bit to reach him, but she returned the hug with no hesitation.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Sokka!” she said with a flirty tone. Sokka noticed her eyes linger on his body for a second before meeting his face again.

_ Oh she is totally checking you out, Amaruq _ .

Feeling slightly more confident he began with his attempt to win that first impression rose.

“So I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to poetry. Actually no, i’m a huge nerd when it comes to poetry,” at this, Jin laughed, “so I decided what better way to win you over than with a classic love poem.”

Jin’s eyes lit up at his words and she brought her hands to her mouth as she gasped, “No one’s ever written me a love poem before! Let’s hear it.”

Sokka cleared his throat and began a  _ slightly _ over dramatic recitation of his haiku.

“ _ For you my heart beats _

_ Every morning and each night _

_ I hope you’re by my side.” _

Jin giggles and says, “As cute as that was, if that was supposed to be a haiku I think you had one too many syllables.”

_ Score _ . Sokka did that on purpose in the hopes of her pointing it out. He tried the same move on Suki back in college and it won him a lovely year and a half long relationship before they parted ways, deciding they were better as best friends. 

This was going  _ so much better  _ than the science fair.

“Well, I never said I was  _ good  _ at poetry,” He says with a grin. 

Jin’s laugh is bright and warm and Sokka loves the sound of it, “You’re too funny!”

She pulls him in for another hug before sending him off, and feeling bold he gives her a light kiss on the cheek.

“I’ll see you inside,” he says before walking away with a slight skip in his step.

“Looking forward to it.” 

He turns around to take one more look at Jin and finds her looking at him with a slight blush on her cheeks and natural smile still gracing her lips. She gives him a small wave before Sokka turns around again. He throws a self-congratulatory fist in the air with a small ‘ _ whoop!’  _ and hears Jin laugh at his antics one more time. 

_ Okay, maybe Katara was onto something… _

~~~

Sokka was the 7th man to arrive, but he’s already having a great time with the other guys as they wait for the introductions to be over and for Jin to return.

The first person he met was a bald dude with interesting blue arrow tattoos on his arms and head named Aang, and he was quite possibly the nicest guy Sokka has ever met. As the two of them talk, Sokka finds out that Aang’s tattoos are actually traditional markings from his religion and that he was born in Tibet before moving to the states when he was 12. 

The two of them got along instantly and were chatting together when another contestant, Haru, (who honestly, Sokka would’ve considered kind of cute if it weren’t for his ridiculous mustache) joined them. The three of them were conversing by a window, observing the new guys as they stepped out of the limo and greeted Jin. They made harmless jokes about the men as they greeted Jin with casual politeness, or as they rode in on a horse in an over-the-top attempt to make her swoon.

As the three of them chat about Jin and get to know each other a little bit, a new contestant walks into the room.

“Game’s over boys, none of you stand a chance,” a cocky voice says from across the room. An Indian man with shaggy brown hair, weirdly pointy eyebrows, and a smug grin came into the room. He immediately picked up a flute of champagne and downed it in one go. As he walked through the room to decide who to bother his eyes landed on Sokka, Aang, and Haru. His grin widened and he sauntered over to them.

“Hey, I’m Aang, it’s nice to meet you!” Aang said as he put his hand out for the other man to shake.

He eyed Aang’s tattooed head curiously and with a tad of judgement before saying, “Jet. What’s up with the ink? Kicked out of a biker gang or something?”

“Oh actually their traditio-” Jet cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“Don’t care, it’s sick though,” Jet said. Aang looked confused by his dismissal-sort-of-compliment combo but shrugged and took another sip of his drink.

“I’m Haru, and that’s Sokka, it’s good to meet you man,” Haru said as he stuck out his hand with Sokka following his lead. Jet shook his hand a little too tightly and Sokka really didn’t like his vibe, but he elected to ignore it and allowed Jet to join in their conversation.

“You know who was nice to meet? Jin. Holy  _ shit _ that girl is fine. You bastards don’t stand a chance.”

“Keep telling yourself that Jet, the two of us really hit it off,” Sokka replied.

“You wish, ponytail, girl couldn’t keep her hands off of me down there.”

“Really? Cause we all saw you walk in,” Sokka said as he vaguely gestured towards the large window they were standing by as a man with long black hair stepped out of the limo, “and you were barely out there for five seconds man.”

Jet’s smirk faltered a little, “Whatever, ponytail-”

“It’s Sokka.”

“Whatever, man, it’s not like you’ll be around long enough for me to remember your name anyways.”

Sokka was about to snap back at Jet, but Haru spoke up and said, “Hey has anyone new come in yet? It’s been a few minutes since Jet came in.”

“No. Huh, that’s weird, there should be at least one new guy by now,” Aang said.

With that they all turned back towards the window and the same black-haired man was still talking to Jin. The men focused on their conversation and tried to figure out why they were talking for so much longer than everyone else.

The two of them were leaning towards each other and talking animatedly. Jin was laughing and the man was smiling, and a second later he took out a small envelope and handed it to Jin. She flung up to hug him as she opened it. and they talk for a few more seconds before she hugs him again, plants a kiss on his cheek, and sends him on his way. Sokka could see the two of them still talking to each other as the man was walking towards the mansion.

Sokka turned to Jet, who looked utterly dumbfounded by the clear connection the two had.

Sokka clapped him on the shoulder and said, “Well Jet, looks like you’ve finally got some  _ real _ competition. Maybe you should learn his name yeah?”

~~~

As Jin waved goodbye to Jet, a new limo had just pulled up.

Jin’s eyes widened as she took in the man in front of her. He was a tall Asian man with long, shiny, black hair tied half-up in a bun. His smile was tentative, but it was kind of endearing how nervous he seemed. His deep maroon suit was paired with a black shirt and a simple gold chain. And his eyes.

Jesus, his  _ eyes _ .

They were such a light shade of brown that Jin would’ve even considered them gold. Over his left eye, stretching back into his hairline and over his ear, was a deep red burn scar that turned pinker the closer it got to the edge. It made him look mysterious and  _ incredibly _ sexy. 

Jin could stare into those eyes all day.

“Hey, uh, Zuko here,” He said as he walked up to her.

_ Zuko… where have I heard that name before? _

He leaned in to give her a hug, which she gladly reciprocated. If she held on for a little longer than she did with the other men, that was nobody’s business but hers.

“You look amazing, it’s so nice to meet you,” She says as they let go of the hug.

Zuko smiles at her and awkwardly brings a hand behind his neck.  _ Adorable _ .

“You too, you look incredible,” His smile is genuine and a little bit crooked, but Jin likes it anyways, “wow I’ve really gotta thank Uncle for this…” He says almost to himself.

“Your uncle?”

Zuko must’ve realized he said it out loud because his eyes widened a bit, “Oh! Right. Yeah, my Uncle’s been wanting to set me up with you for a while now, but I only just moved to Portland.”

Jin eyes him curiously, “...and why would your Uncle be trying to set you up with me for such a long time? Do I know him?”

“I mean you are his most loyal customer,” as he says this he hands a small envelope over to Jin.

_ Loyal customer?  _

Jin opens the envelope and sees a small certificate for a lifetime supply of free tea at her favorite tea shop The Jasmine Dragon. 

And it clicks. 

Zuko’s Uncle is Iroh. 

Jin  _ loves _ Iroh. He always invites her to play rounds of Pai Sho when she isn’t too busy and offers her taste tests of new pastries from the small cafe. They bond over their love of medical dramas and talk for hours about Jin’s work and the latest antics of Iroh’s nephew.

Jin’s eyes widen as she realizes that the man in front of her is the very same man who after seeing the Boston Tour cast of  _ Les Miserables _ held a 4 hour long conversation with Iroh critiquing the entire musical. The same man who proceeded to foster a family of baby ducklings after he found them in a box on the side of the road. The same one whom she had heard countless stories of his broody-teenage years. The same man who scandalized Iroh by constantly referring to tea as “hot-leaf juice.” 

She gasped and said “ _ You’re Iroh’s famous nephew Zuko?!?” _

He chuckled at that, “I wouldn’t say I’m  _ famous _ but yeah, that’s me.”

Jin threw her arms around him and gave him a huge squeeze.

“Iroh’s told me so much about you! I can’t believe he never showed me any pictures during our pai sho games! I would’ve set myself up with you”

Zuko laughed and Jin saw a light shade of pink grace his cheeks, “Oh  _ god _ , he convinced you to play that against him?”

“Hey, pai sho is so much fun against your Uncle, I’ve even managed to beat him a few times,” she said proudly. Iroh was notorious to the Jasmine Dragon regulars for being nearly impossible to beat.

Zuko seemed pleasantly surprised at this fact, “You actually won against him? He completely  _ annihilates  _ me every single time! I absolutely hate playing against him, but hey maybe I won’t have to play another round of that god-forsaken game now that you’re around.”

Jin laughed and couldn’t believe that Iroh’s nephew could be so charming. She hugged him once more and gave him a final kiss on the cheek.

“I can’t wait to talk to you more inside, maybe you can tell me more about the time he found you talking to your sister’s stuffed frog to practice asking your friend Mai out in high school,” she said as Zuko began walking away.

Zuko’s head whipped around at that. His smile faltered and his eyes grew wide again, “He told you about that? What else has he told random strangers at tea shops?!?” 

Jin laughed as Zuko’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment, but he didn’t seem to be upset by it. 

“Go on inside, I’ll find you later  _ Prince Zuko _ ,” she said with a mischievous lilt to her voice, remembering how Iroh would always refer to him by that whenever he left their game to take a phone call with him.

Zuko groaned at the nickname, “I can’t believe him, he is a menace to society. I’ll see you later Jin.”

“Looking forward to it,” and she genuinely meant it, unlike she did with half of the other guys who she’d met already. The only other men who she’d said that to and meant it included the tall, dark, and handsome Sokka and the charming and energetic Aang. The rest seemed nice enough, but there were still a couple who she knew weren’t going to last very long.

As Jin watched Zuko enter the mansion she thought to herself:

_ Man, who knew Iroh would turn out to be such a good wingman? _

~~~

**@bachelorettestan167:**

Oh my god. I’m not even halfway through Jin meeting these men, but holy shit Zuko is  _ totally _ the one for her. The chemistry? The flirting? Someone send whoever Iroh is a fruit basket because this is amazing!!!

#bachelorette #jinyu #zukohidaka #givehimthefirstrosejin

**@katie_grace97**

Did anyone else find it kind of suspicious that Zuko and Jin are connected through Iroh? Does anyone else think that they may have already known each other beforehand? Kinda sus guys…

#bachelorette #jinyu #zukohidaka #ithinkthisisrigged #scriptedtelevision

**@sidney_thee_stallion77**

If Jin Yu doesn’t marry Sokka, I will GLADLY volunteer. 

#bachelorette #jinyu #sokkaamaruq #someonewritemeahaiku #prettyplease #thatwassoadorable

**@aanggyaltsen_fanaccount**

Y’all are sleeping on my man Aang. His little magic trick with the marbles was so cute and also kind of impressive. He seems like such a sweet guy, Jin should totally go for him. And the tattoos!!!

#bachelorette #jinyu #aanggyaltsen #jinaang #aangjin #stillworkingonashipnameforthem

**@JC_Brown4**

Trying to keep track of people live tweeting the season premiere of the Bachelorette while simultaneously trying to pay attention as these guys introduce themselves is really stressful, but oh my word is it entertaining. I hope there’s drama soon (I’m looking at you Jet)

#bachelorette #jinyu #jetsharma #deargodihopethisseasonismessy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed that chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Next chapter: Zuko and Sokka meet. The rest of the boys arrive. Drama ensues.


	3. we are only at the start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night One: Part Two
> 
> Zuko meets the competition and Hahn is a colossal douche.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back friends :)
> 
> So this is getting a lot longer than I expected to so Im gonna give a quick little rundown of what to expect in the next few chapters. I have one more part prepared for night one so thats gonna be the next chapter, and then the first group date and single date will be a chapter as well, and then a chapter regarding the rose ceremony. Each "episode" is not going to end up being three parts long, but this is the PREMIERE baby so you're all getting three parts lol.
> 
> (Chapter title from "Do U Mind?" by Evann McIntosh

[Contestant Jet Sharma is seen from the chest up with a small banner across the bottom of the screen listing his age (26), profession (Social Worker), and hometown (Chicago, IL). He is recording the confessional somewhere in the mansion, but it is unclear as to where due to the blurry background.]

“Some of these other guys… they just rub me the wrong way. I don’t think some of them are here for the right reasons.”

[the camera cuts to a clip of contestant Hahn Ujurak as he sips from a champagne flute with a closed off expression; then to a clip of contestant Jason Greene as he tells an animated story to a small group of men. Jet returns to the screen.]

“Look, I know I can come off as a cocky asshole sometimes, but I’m a good guy. I’m here because I truly think that I can fall in love here, and I think I deserve it, and I know that Jin deserves it to. Some of these other guys seem like they’re only here for fame and attention, but not me.”

[Contestant Hahn Ujurak is seen from the chest up with a small banner across the bottom of the screen listing his age (28), profession (Financial Advisor), and hometown (Juneau, Alaska).]

“They’re totally threatened by me man. And why shouldn't they be? Like I always say, skinny boys like Jet and Scarface have _nothing_ on a brickhouse like me. Jin needs a man who can support her. And financially, I’m ready for a relationship. Like I said: these pricks have nothing on me.”

[Contestant Lucas Bambara is seen from the chest up with a small banner across the bottom of the screen listing his age (25), profession (English Teacher), and hometown (Ames, IA).]

“Hahn’s an ass.”

~~~

Walking into the mansion is incredibly different than Zuko was expecting. On television, it looks so natural and easy going. He just assumed he would go inside and introduce himself, but he was greeted with a barrage of commotion the second he crossed the threshold.

Cameras are everywhere. There are crew members and producers shuffling around everywhere making sure everything is in its proper place. As he’s adjusting from the calm conversation outside to the energy inside, a short Chinese woman with an unreasonably large guide dog walked up to him. 

“Name?”

Her tone was short and clipped. Zuko could vaguely hear someone asking for more vodka to be delivered to the other men over the headset hanging around her neck. Her hazel eyes looked in his direction but slightly over his left shoulder.

“Uh.. Zuko Hidaka?”

“Is that a question or an answer.” 

“Answer, I guess,” Zuko was slightly taken back by her sharp tone. It reminded him a bit of Azula to be honest. He was still floating on his high from his conversation with Jin, and the complete 180 from that to the woman in front of him was really throwing him off his game.

“Wow you’re whipped already,” she mumbled to herself, “Alright, I’m Toph Beifong. I am in fact blind if the seeing-eye dog wasn’t enough for you to catch on. Some of these idiots needed to be reminded of that and if you’re another one of those idiots I will make sure that Jin sends you home. I’m the executive on-sight producer for this show, so if you have any issues, talk to someone else, I don’t have time for it. If the issue is of great importance, fine, come to me because half of my staff is incompetant. A crew member has taken your bags to your room already and at the end of the night you’ll be shown where that is. Each room has four men assigned to it, and after tonight you will be able to change who your roommates are, so make some friends. Or don’t. Roommate drama could make for some good television. Any questions?”

She was rapid-fire in her spiel and Zuko had to take a second to process all of the information thrown at him.

“Nope, I think you pretty much covered it.”

She sighed a breath of relief, “Thank god, half these other chumps needed me to explain how to find the fucking bathrooms and I’m already annoyed. Now that I’ve got that explained there's a few more things I should go over; just some basic measures for the show.”

Zuko liked her no-nonsense attitude, but he really wished Toph would just let him go so he could take a shot or something. His carefree attitude from meeting Jin was starting to turn into more anxious energy and he really, _really,_ just wanted some alcohol in his system.

“Okay hit me.”

“Alright. Throughout the night, I or another producer will come and find you to bring you back and film some confessionals, we’ll ask you some questions, you’ll give us some answers, blah blah blah, you’ve seen the show you know how they look. It’s television bud, so some of your answers are probably gonna be taken out of context for some tv magic. If you have a problem with that I don’t care. You’re being filmed 24/7. Your only privacy is when you take a piss really, so be ready for everything you do to potentially end up on television. However, I am not a cruel person so I will say that if anything happens while you are here, any secrets or personal information that you absolutely do not want to be seen, tell me directly and I will personally make sure that it doesn’t make the final cut,” her words still had some bite to them, but the underlying genuine tone put Zuko slightly at ease.

He knew that if he spent enough time here that the story of his scar might eventually slip out. He still didn’t quite know how he felt about the entire country hearing that story, so it was nice to know he had the option of keeping that to himself.

“Throughout the next few weeks, should you be lucky or unlucky enough to stay, you will be sent on one-on-one or group dates, I’m not explaining those to you because if you need an explanation: how the hell did you get on this show? When you aren’t on these dates, you’ll be free to explore the mansion at your leisure and do whatever you want. Every now and then someone will call all of the contestants to the common area and film group discussions, but I think you get the gist by now. You’ll be informed of any and all changes, and this information applies to every destination that you and the other contestants will travel to. That’s pretty much all I have to say for now, so any final thoughts meet your competition?”

Her smile was wicked and you could tell that Toph loved the chaos of reality tv. 

“Is there a limit to how much alcohol I can drink?”

Her smile grew some more, “Oh, I like you. All the alcohol is right through that door. Don’t fuck this up Zuko.”

And with that she walked with her dog towards a cameraman and left Zuko to fend for himself.

_Here goes nothing._

~~~

Zuko was fucked.

Completely and utterly fucked. 

The second he walked into the room, he was met with looks that ranged from friendly smiles to suspicious glares to outright gawking at his face.

He watched as a muscular tan man with shoulder length hair turned to two of the closest men and started murmuring about his arrival.

Before he had time to dwell on the fact that he neglected to even consider his scar and how people would definitely be curious about it when he got there, a bald man with a blinding smile and a freaking _head tattoo_ bounded over to him and stuck out his hand.

“Hi I’m Aang, it’s nice to meet you! Where are you from?”

This guy was clearly a few years younger than Zuko, and way too energetic, but his kindness was enough to distract him from the men 10 feet away talking about him.

“Hey, I’m Zuko. It’s uh, nice to meet you too I guess. Oh, and I’m from Japan originally and I moved to Portland when I was 13, but I’ve been living in Boston ever since I graduated college.”

“No way! I grew up in Tibet until I was 12! It’s nice to meet someone here who also isn’t originally isn’t from the states,” He turned over his shoulder to call over another man, “Hey! Get over here, man, we’ve got-” but Zuko didn’t hear the rest of what Aang said because he was too distracted by what he was looking at.

And that’s when Zuko’s life got exponentially harder.

_Fuck me._

The man Aang was calling over was quite possibly the most attractive man Zuko had ever laid eyes on in his entire life. And he’d literally met Shemar Moore once (but that’s another story.)

The man was already eyeing Zuko with suspicion, but Zuko couldn’t care when the eyes staring at him like he’d just kicked his dog were the most gorgeous shade of brown he had ever seen in his entire life. If anyone were to ask Zuko how he felt about this man’s eyes, he would say they were like a luscious chocolate fountain, and he _may_ have wished he were a strawberry just waiting to be dipped into their warm embrace right about now. His rich, tan skin was dotted with tiny freckles, and his deep navy suit and baby blue shirt complimented him perfectly. Zuko’s eyes were then drawn to a small silver chain that was tucked into his shirt, and as a lover of fine jewelry, Zuko couldn’t help but wonder what was on the end of it…

How the hell could he ever compete with _him_ ? There’s no way in hell Jin could be attracted to anyone here who didn’t look like _that_.

“You were out there for a while, man. Have a good conversation?” The man said to Zuko. He was so distracted by how attractive this man was, that he completely forgot that he was supposed to be having a conversation. 

“Uhh, yeah, yeah. Um, she uh, she knows my uncle. She’s a regular at his tea shop actually.”

“So you’re telling me you two already know each other?” The man’s tone had already been laced with suspicion, but now it only got worse.

“No! No, not at all, I’ve never met her before in my entire life. Uncle never even showed her any pictures of me, I swear I didn’t even know she knew my uncle until he convinced me to sign up for the show,” Zuko tried to sound as genuine as possible, it was the truth after all. 

“Uh-huh, and you just expect me to believe this? Sorry, but that sounds awfully convenient,” the man replied. 

Zuko was not a liar, and he didn’t appreciate this guy implying that he was one. He didn’t appreciate it no matter how attractive he was, or how soft his hair looked, or how completely hopeless he felt by comparison.

“Are you calling me a liar?” Zuko said. 

“All I’m saying is that your story sounds a little too good to be true,” his voice was deep and strong and unbelievably accusatory. And Zuko didn’t like it one bit.

Zuko could see out of the corner of his good eye cameras pointed in their direction. He wanted nothing more than to blow up in this asshole’s stupidly handsome face, but he also did not want to be this season’s villain. No way was he going to end up in the same category as Corrine and Chad. 

_I really need to stop watching this show with Uncle, I know too much._

_You’re literally on the show right now, Zuko, there’s no turning back._

He took a deep breath to stop himself from saying something he’d regret, but he pulled his face into an intimidating glare. He knew exactly how to get people to stop pissing him off thanks to his father’s lovely 13th birthday present that had been seared into the side of his face. 

“Look, you don’t have to believe me, but it’s the truth, got it?”

The man took a step back and his eyes widened the tiniest bit, but if he was intimidated he kept it _very_ well hidden. 

“Fine, whatever, but if I find out that you’re full of crap we’re gonna have words.”

“Fine.”

“Good.”

Zuko had almost forgotten that there was anyone else in the vicinity until Aang started talking again, “Alright! Now that we’re all friends, Sokka, I was just telling Zuko here that I grew up in Tibet, and - get this- he’s from Japan! We’ve got another member of the club with us!”

Zuko blinked back and turned to Aang, it took all of his willpower to stop glaring at the fucking marble statue of a man in front of him. 

“Club?” Zuko said, he turned to the man- _Sokka_ as Aang had called him- who no longer looked like he was ready to interrogate Zuko, and an amused look fell across his face.

“The ‘I-Wasn’t-born-in-America’ club, as Aang has so lovingly dubbed us,” Sokka supplied, “I’m originally from Nunavik, but I moved to California with my sister when we both started college at Stanford. She’s two years younger than me but she’s a kid genius, so we went at the same time, and the two of us just… never left.”

Zuko noticed a glimmer of pride in his eyes as he spoke about his sister, and he forgot all about the animosity he showed towards Zuko for just a moment.

“Not to make myself sound stupid, but where is Nunavik?” Zuko asked. Asking someone about their hometown, always a safe bet. Hopefully Sokka wouldn’t be offended by the fact that he had never heard of it before.

Sokka’s smile grew a little bit larger, and Zuko could see how perfect and white his teeth were. 

_You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me right now._

It was truly unfair how beautiful this man was. Zuko may as well just go home now. He’d congratulate Jin and then go wallow in his self pity with Uncle back home.

“It’s the northern part of Quebec, we lived in a really small village up there, and moving to California was a huge change for us. I was so not ready for the warm weather,” he laughed.

Zuko was about to ask another question, but he overheard the same large man from earlier say something along the lines of “ _Scarface”_ and his attention was diverted.

“What did you just say?” Zuko asked as he whipped his head around.

Muscle-man had a similar skin tone and bone structure as Sokka, but the resemblance stopped there. His jaw was more squarish and his hair was flat and dull looking compared to Sokka’s shiny locks. Zuko would probably rate him a 3/10 if he were being honest. His eyes were judgemental and his smile was dangerous and mocking.

“Oh, I didn’t say anything,” he said with false sincerity, as Zuko went to turn his attention back to Sokka and Aang, he heard the asshole mutter “ _Scarface”_ one more time.

Zuko whipped around and got all up in his personal space.

“Let me ask again: _What did you just say?_ ” he growled. 

~~~

Sokka watched as this Zuko guy was about to rock Hahn’s shit. He was still pretty wary about Zuko’s claim that he had never met Jin before, but he sounded pretty genuine and asked Sokka about Nunavik, so he couldn’t be entirely bad.

And the second he heard “Scarface” leave Hahn’s lips he knew that Hahn was the biggest dick here, and he would gladly support Zuko’s crusade to put him in his place, even if he still didn’t trust the guy.

Sokka watched as the camera crew came closer, to focus their attention on the tv _gold_ that was unfurling right before them.

“Woah, calm down scar-face, I was just wondering how they let your ugly mug in here,” Hahn said. Sokka swore he could see steam coming from out of Zuko’s nose. 

“ _Don’t_ talk about the scar if you know what’s good for you, asshole.”

Zuko’s raspy voice was low and commanding, and if Sokka wasn’t rooting for him to rock Hahn’s shit in this moment, he may have even been a little bit terrified. 

“Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about it?” Hahn was clearly looking for a reason to fight right now. Sokka saw him clench his fists and noticed a slight shift in his posture, as if he were ready to pounce the second Zuko threw the first punch.

Sokka returned his focus back to Zuko, who was standing in a similar position. Everyone in the common area was focused on them now, drinks sitting idle in their hands. The air was tense and Sokka couldn’t help but wonder, _I hope Jin doesn’t see this._

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Jet approached the two men from where he was talking with Lucas, Haru, and a short white guy who Sokka had yet to meet. He came between the two men with his hands up in a show of peace.

“I think both of you need to calm down,” Jet kept his voice low and calm. Sokka was utterly shocked because he had yet to hear Jet talk about anything other than how great he was the entire night, “It’s night one boys, and we’re gonna be spending a lot of time with each other, so how about for right now we both walk away and calm down. After all we wouldn’t want Jin seeing either of you with a bloody nose just yet, huh?”

Zuko calmed down first and huffed out a small “Fine,” through gritted teeth before walking over to the bar and slamming down a shot of tequila. Hahn smirked and returned to his conversation from before, seemingly unaffected by the ordeal. 

Sokka looked over to where Zuko stood alone at the bar and watched as Jet approached him. He could see Jet look over him with a neutral expression while they had a short conversation. Zuko’s lean frame was rigid and stiff. His expression pensive, and his mouth was ticked downwards into an angry pout. Eventually Jet seemed to convince Zuko to come back and join Sokka and Aang in conversation again. 

Zuko’s face which had held a dazed expression all night - _probably from thinking about his first meeting with Jin_ \- had morphed into something more closed off and neutral.

Sokka preferred the dazed Zuko, at least he knew how to smile. Now he just looked like an emotionless douche.

The four men continued their conversation from earlier, talking about their college majors and professions and how excited they were to be on the show before Zuko began to open up a little bit more. 

Eventually, the producer who had briefed Sokka at the door, Toph, came into the room and told them all to stand around or sit on the large couch in the center of the room. She had informed them that all the men had arrived, and that in a few minutes, Jin and Piandao would return and the real competition would begin. 

Sokka found himself crammed between Zuko and Aang, with Hahn on the opposite end. He could see Hahn glancing and smirking in Zuko’s direction, and felt as Zuko became increasingly more tense besides him.

He still wasn’t a huge fan of the guy considering he was still the competition and already had a leg up on the rest of them ( _I don’t care what he says, he totally had an in beforehand)_ , but he liked Hahn even less.

“Hey, don’t let him get to you, he’s just a dick,” Sokka leaned over and whispered to him.

Despite his best efforts to calm the man down, Zuko only seemed to tense up even more. 

“He’s wrong you know, you’re not ugly; you’re hot man,” Sokka said.

_Woah, woah, woah, where the hell did_ that _come from?_

At that, Zuko whipped his head to Sokka and looked him head on, “What?”

“I uh, mean of course you’re hot dude, like _logically_ they wouldn’t let you be on the show if you weren’t,” Sokka laughed awkwardly. 

_Nice save, Amaruq. Very logical. I need a drink._

He took another sip of his beer and felt Zuko start to calm down next to him.

“Then why is Hahn here?” Zuko said quietly before taking another sip of his drink. Sokka surprised himself by how loud he laughed at that.

Oh, so when he’s not a moody prick he’s actually kinda funny?

_Fuck he’s gonna be hard to beat._

~~~

Oh so, when he wasn’t accusing Zuko of cheating a reality show he was actually kind of nice? 

_I’m gonna die alone._

~~~

**@sidney_thee_stallion77**

Who the hell does Hahn think he is? You don’t come for someone’s looks like that. That was so insensitive. I wish Zuko punched him. 

#thebachelorette #HahnUjarauk #ZukoHidaka #fuckhahn

**@taiysha ✓**

Wow! Jin really has her hands full with all of these attractive men. From one bachelorette to another, I wish you the best of luck!

#thebachelorette #abc #JinYu

**@katara_amaruq7**

this is so much more entertaining than I thought it would be lol. Kinda wish Zuko fought you when you accused him of cheating **@thatsrightimsokka** but whatever.

#thebachelorette #SokkaAmaruq #JinYu #dontfuckitupbigbro #whowouldwininafightSokkaorZuko

**@sukisukisuki**

I’ve fought your brother, and I’ve seen Zuko literally once on this show but I know he'd have Sokka pinned e a s y.

**@thatsrightimsokka**

suki i thought we were friends

**@kelsiejune222**

I can already tell that Hahn is gonna be one of the best villains yet. I love him. i dont but i do. Im here for the drama baby,

zuko totally should’ve ended his shit right there. 

#thebachelorette #HahnUjaruk #JinYu #didanyoneelseseehowJethandledthattho? #westanaproblemsolver #teamJet #JetSharma

**@juicyjulie002**

Okay but that guy who came in on a tiger tho,,, wtf was up with that man

#thebachelorette #JinYu #prettysurehisnamewasfuckinTedorsomethingidk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now the Jet is Not an Asshole tag makes sense. 
> 
> also for reference the tweets are happening as the show is airing which happens MONTHS after the show is filmed, they don't have phones at the mansion, this is why sokka responds to suki's tweet (just in case anyone was confused)
> 
> Thanks for reading! hopefully the next update will be out next sunday but life's a little crazy right now so who knows. I'll try my best tho!
> 
> Love you all <3


	4. i tried to love you, but you're not my type

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin gets to know the boys a bit better and gives out some roses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI guys!!! so sorry this took forever but I was going through a bit of a rough patch and was dealing with major writers block, but i did it!!! This was a beast of a chapter and honestly I'm happy with it, but I still think it could be better (I'm a perfectionist and nothing is ever good enough for me but it is what it is) Anyways I hope you all enjoyed this and I hope to get the next chapter up sooner than I did with this one because I hate making you guys wait. The next chapter is when the fun stuff really kicks off and when we really get some steam into this story. The pace is going to pick up a lot lol, I just really had a lot of groundwork to lay here. I don't rlly like this one but it was a necessary evil to get done and I think it's pretty good all things considered.
> 
> I don't know if you can tell, but I have major mized feelings about this one LMAO.
> 
> Anyways enjoy!!
> 
> (chapter title from "Animal" by Sir Chloe)

_ Voice over: Coming up on the Bachelorette… _

[Contestant Chan Masuda is seen on an outdoor bench by a pool chatting with Bachelorette Jin Yu. The pair seem to be engrossed in conversation.]

“...so then I said,  _ ‘welcome to Sandy Land!’ _ and that’s how I got my first job at…”

[The camera flashes to Contestant Zuko Hidaka who is walking on the other side of the pool. Jin sees him, bids an abrupt goodbye to Chan with a kiss on the cheek before running over to Zuko.]

[Contestant Chan Masuda is seen from the chest up with a small banner across the bottom of the screen listing his age (27), profession (Photographer), and hometown (Orlando, FL).]

“I think my chat with Jin went well? I mean she left really quickly to talk with that other guy, Zach? I don’t know I’m bad with names, but hey I got a kiss on the cheek, so that’s pretty sick.”

[Contestant Hahn Ujurak is seen chatting with Jin on a sofa somewhere within the mansion away from the other contestants. She is nodding politely, as Hahn speaks.]

“...and the whole point of investment capital is…”

[Contestant Zuko Hidaka is spotted walking past the doorway, and Jin jumps up to meet up with him. He looks surprised.]

[Contestant Hahn Ujurak is seen from the chest up with a small banner across the bottom of the screen listing his age (28), profession (Financial Advisor), and hometown (Juneau, Alaska).]

“I don’t know what that prick’s problem is. I make one joke about his face and suddenly he’s stealing my Jin time? Not cool. Plus I overheard some of the other guys talking and apparently she knows his uncle. They basically already know each other! I’m not about to let some sneaky douche ruin my chances of baggin’ a babe alright? Game on Zuko, game on…”

[The scene flashes to a different room in the mansion. There is a bundle of roses on a small table. The men are lined up in two rows on one side of the room, with Jin on the other holding the first rose in her hand. She looks stressed.]

~~~

As Jin prepared herself to walk into the mansion to see all of the men in one room together, she started to feel nervous.

She wasn’t surprised by this at all, she had been nervous when she was a contestant. She was nervous to meet Andrew. She was nervous to compete against the other girls. She was nervous to fall in love. She was nervous when Andrew fell in love with her. She was nervous because she didn’t know if she could find a love like that again.

She had no hard feelings towards Andrew. In fact they still kept in touch and remained good friends. She was glad that Shaniyah was a friend of hers on the show and she was so happy for her when she and Andrew got engaged. She even attended the wedding.

But now she was in the spotlight, and it was a whole different kind of nerves.

Jin was currently getting prepped to go in and begin the night with the men, but she let Toph and Piandao’s words wash right over her. She knew the deal, she knew what she had to do. But she couldn’t help but think about Andrew’s advice to her when he found out she was going to be on the show next.

_ “It’s going to be hard Jin. Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Andrew said to her as they chatted through facetime. _

_ “I’m ready to fall in love again Andrew if that’s what you’re wondering. I have gotten over you ya know,” she quipped back. _

_ “Yeah yeah I know,” he laughed, “but I’m talking about being on the other side of things. It takes a toll on you.” _

_ “What do you mean?” _

_ “Jin you’re gonna fall in love with multiple people. I can assure you of that. But you’re gonna have to break some hearts as well. And each time you do that, your heart is gonna break a little too,” He said. _

_ “Are you trying to apologize to me again Andrew? I told you it’s fine,” she said. _

_ “No, Jin, you’d kill me if I tried that again, but I’m serious. I know we’re good and all, but I still feel guilty. I would say I regret ever doing the show, but well, I don’t regret meeting Shaniyah so I won’t say that. I do regret having to break your heart in order to keep her though, I still feel guilty,” he sighed, “Just, don’t lead anyone on if you really don’t feel anything for them, be as honest and transparent as you can be, and maybe that will make things easier for you.” _

_ “Any other words of advice?” _

_ “Trust your gut Jin, sometimes it’s smarter than your heart.” _

_ “What the hell does that even mean?” _

_ “It means find a guy who can cook,” he laughed, “I’m kidding. No matter how much you may think you love someone, if your gut is holding you back, then listen to it. Trust your feelings, but don’t let them cloud your judgement, or else you’ll end up like me and end up dealing with a Camille-type and you do  _ not _ want that.” _

_ Jin laughed. She remembers Camille. She was manipulative and bitchy and caused so many problems behind Andrew’s back, but played nice to his face. She was an absolute nightmare. _

_ “Will do buddy, now put Shaniyah on the phone I need her help picking out some outfits to pack.” _

_ “Alright, I’ll let you two deal with that, God knows she has better judgement than I do in that department,” he laughed as he went to hand the phone over to his wife. Shaniyah smiled as she took the phone from Andrew to talk to Jin. The two women were always close friends on the Bachelor, and she would even go so far as considering her a best friend. _

_ “Alright babe, first things first: bring as much green as you can, it’s your best color.” _

She had been nervous ever since that conversation with Andrew, and couldn’t stop thinking of how many heart’s she’d have to break. She could only hope to remain friends with them like she did with Andrew, but that may be wishful thinking.

“Jin, are you ready to see the boys?” Piandao said from where he was standing next to her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“As I’ll ever be,” and with that she entered the main room.

~~~

Upon entering the common room, Jin noticed something…  _ off _ .

Everyone looks slightly uncomfortable.

Especially Zuko.

Jin remembers her first night as a contestant, and all of the girls got along great at first (except Camille, obviously), but other than that, no one was  _ uncomfortable _ .

The second she walked in, all of the men got up and greeted her excitedly. 

“Hi guys! I’m so excited that all of you are here. We all want love and all I ask of you guys is to be open and honest and kind and I’m sure everything will work out the way it’s meant to. So let’s get the party started!”

The men all cheer. Jin makes her way through the crowd chatting with everyone she can.

Currently Jin is sitting with Aang and Haru, who were the sweetest guys she has ever met. Aang intimidated her quite a bit at first, with his towering height, complex tattoos, and impressive build, but the second he flashed his lopsided grin she knew he wasn’t scary at all.

“So Aang, what are you looking for in a girl?” she asks him, wondering if he ever stops smiling. It’s endearing how positive he is.

“Honestly, if I’m gonna get married and settle down I want it to be with my best friend as well as my partner. I want someone who will go on adventures with me and loves being free and having fun as much as I do. I don’t have any doubts that we’ll be friends though, your energy is fantastic,” He grinned at her again, she couldn’t help but smile right along with him, it was almost infectious, “Oh! And they have to like my dog Appa,” he got a wistful look in his eye, “He really is the best boy.”

“Oh I don’t doubt it for a second,” Jin laughed.

Cute, sweet, and a dog person? Aang was making a very good case for himself tonight. 

Haru piped up that his dog, Rocky, was actually the best boy because he was named after Rocky Balboa, which sparked a debate between Jin and the two men about the merits of what makes a good dog. Haru was much more soft spoken than Aang, but his gentler demeanor was just as intriguing as Aang’s tattoos. And don’t even get Jin started on his laugh, it sounded like a baby hyena, and it was absolutely adorable.

The more she chatted with them, the more she realized that this was going to be harder than expected. She already had Sokka and Zuko stuck in her mind from earlier, and now Aang and Haru were cementing their own special spots in her brain. She was exhilarated by how wonderful everyone had been so far, but Andrew’s words lingered in the back of her mind, reminding her that it couldn’t be this perfect forever.

As Haru was telling a story about something Rocky did, a hand tapped her on the shoulder.

“Mind if I steal you away for a minute?”

Oh, she remembered him. Chan was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. His suggestive smile and deep brown eyes drew her in immediately as he stepped out of his limo.

“I don’t mind at all,” She smiled and turned to Haru and Aang, who seemed a little bummed that she was leaving, but still grinning, “I’ll catch up with you guys later yeah?”

~~~

Zuko is trying to enjoy the night, he really is. He downed at least three shots at this point, and was  _ trying _ to enjoy whatever conversation he was having with Jet at the moment, but he couldn’t get “ _ scarface” _ to stop repeating in his mind.

Tonight was supposed to be the beginning of an adventure for Zuko. A chance to try something new,  _ be _ someone new. Be someone confident, and charming, and  _ handsome. _ It took Azula four days to finalize Zuko’s wardrobe with him because he wanted to impress everyone so badly. To prove that he could still be a catch despite his scar.

It had taken quite a few years for Zuko to become just indifferent to his scar instead of repulsed every time he walked past a mirror. It was only within the past year or two where he really began to believe that he could even be considered somewhat attractive with the scar. Most of his fragile new confidence came from his sister Azula, who aggressively spat confidence at him in a terrifying tone whenever he felt self-conscious of it. Mainly it confused him because of how she said such nice things in such a scathing tone. He even started wearing his hair out of his face so as to not hide the scar despite how terrified it made him. He tried his best to hold his head with pride lately because this was who he was, and nothing could change that now.

And yet all it took was one word out of Hahn’s mouth to chip away at that fragile new confidence.

For a brief moment, he thought he’d be okay after Sokka informed him that logically he  _ had _ to be hot to even be here, but then another contestant jumped at the sight of him when he tried joining their conversation and that was that. 

He was used to people jumping at the scar, and it stopped phasing him a long time ago, but something about Hahn’s words really set him on edge tonight.

No matter how many times he tried to replay Azula’s voice in his ear saying  _ Zuzu, I am probably the hottest woman alive, and you are related to me, and everyone says we bear a striking resemblance to one another, therefore you are easily one of the hottest men alive, regardless of the scar. So stop being such a dumdum and get that fact through your stupid head. _ He couldn’t shake the rising feelings of humiliation.

“Excuse me for a moment, Jet. I think I’m going to go get some fresh air,” Zuko said.

Jet eyed him warily, likely still concerned about his temper form when he had to talk Zuko down from strangling Hahn earlier, “Of course, are you alright still?”

“I’m fine,” Zuko snapped, slightly wincing at how harsh his tone came out. He sighed, “I mean I’ll be fine.”

“Alright, feel free to come talk to me if you’re not though, okay?” Jet said. 

Zuko nodded and stepped outside towards the pool. He appreciated the concern, but he really needed a moment away from everyone else to gather his thoughts and psych himself up again. 

_ Jin didn’t flinch at the sight of you, and she seemed to really like you. Her opinion is the only one here that matters anyways. _

_ She has to be nice to you no matter what. You spoke with her once, you have no idea what her opinion about you is. _

_ Okay, but Sokka said you were hot too so even though his opinion doesn’t matter at least it’s another compliment to think about.  _

_ Sokka sees himself in the mirror every day. He knows you don’t live up to his standards, he probably only said that because he was annoyed with your moping. Plus you already know he has a bad opinion of you, he said so himself when he called you a cheater. _

Before he could spiral anymore than he had, a bright voice called out to him from the other side of the pool.

“Zuko!”

Jin was walking around the edge of the pool to meet him, a dazzling smile lighting up her face.

_ Take that brain,  _ she  _ came to  _ me.

“Jin,” He said as an easy grin made its home on his face, “how have you been enjoying the evening so far?”

“It’s been amazing, everyone here is so charming and sweet, but I don’t wanna talk about them, tell me more about you. Your Uncle mentioned that you’re a vet?”

The conversation flowed easily from there. Zuko told her about how his mother would always take him and his sister to the duck pond and how that was where his love for animals was born. He spoke to her about the two cats his Uncle had when he was a teenager, Ran and Shaw, and how he adopted their kitten Druk when he was in college. She matched him story for story about her own pets growing up, and how she was the proud owner of a labrador named Lee.

It was easy to talk to Jin. For most of his life he was scolded by his father for his awkwardness, or made fun of by his peers for his chronic foot-in-mouth syndrome. But Jin didn’t seem to mind. Whenever Zuko stuttered or hesitated Jin was either patient enough to let him form his thoughts, or changed topics to keep their talk going. 

He was still a nervous wreck, and was still very much pissed off because of Hahn, but Jin’s comfortable presence allowed Zuko to forget about it for a brief moment.

~~~

Jin had been outside for approximately 27 minutes according to Sokka’s watch. He witnessed her exit the common area with Chan 27 minutes ago, and 16 minutes ago, Chan returned alone. For the past 11 minutes, Sokka had been positioned in front of a window, casually admiring the stars. This window was also conveniently perpendicular to the entrance back into the common room, aka the most likely place for Jin to enter the common room again. From where Sokka was standing, Jin would inevitably notice him right away, and based on how well his limo entrance went, he had no doubt that she would approach him. From there, she’d probably inquire as to why he was looking out the window instead of mingling with the other men, thus making him appear mysterious (and according to Katara, an air of mystery is a major plus for Bachelorette contestants). Sokka would respond by saying he was just admiring the stars and then proceed to offer her his knowledge of the constellations. Why? Because if there is one thing that Sokka Amaruq is sure about, it is this: stargazing =  _ romance _ .

As Sokka continued to stare at the stars and wait for Jin to return with whomever she met while outside with Chan, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander to Yue.

Yue was born during a full moon. Growing up, her father had bought her a telescope so she could see it even better. In high school she had secretly gotten a tattoo of a waning crescent on her ankle. In her senior year of college, she had taken an elective astronomy course, which was also where she had met Sokka. The moon was full on their first date. The moon was full on the night he proposed. It was a new moon on the night she died.

But it was a full moon right now. And Sokka took that as a good sign.

Sokka got into the habit of speaking to the moon whenever he missed Yue. He liked to envision her sitting atop the moon, examining every inch of it, exploring each crater, and watching over him from afar. He thinks she’d be happy doing that, living on a celestial body far away. 

“Hey moonbeam,” he whispered Yue’s nickname to himself as he waited for Jin’s return, “I’m looking pretty good yeah? Made sure that all my jewelry matched like you taught me.”

Checking his watch one more time, he saw the count change to 13 minutes; Jin would be back any second now.

“I’ll always love you moonbeam, but I hope you’re proud of me right now.”

He took one more calming breath and put on a smile, just as Jin walked in with her arm intertwined with Zuko.

Seeing how content the pair looked made his smile falter just a tad, but he wasn’t going to let himself get discouraged.

Jin looked up and unlinked her arm from Zuko’s as she approached him, “Sokka!”

“Jin!” He replied with equal enthusiasm, “Care to join me on the balcony for a bit?”

“Oh I would love to,” she slipped her arm through his and he led her to the balcony, passing a dumbfounded Zuko as they went. Sokka, who was unable to let go of his childish tendencies for even a second, stuck out his tongue at Zuko and gave a cocky grin as Zuko got visibly more annoyed with him. He was so easy to mess with and Sokka would do anything to get under this guy’s skin. It’s a competition after all, and he only cared about falling for Jin, not winning over some shady prick.

Sokka could hear an indignant scoff as Jin led him towards a private balcony, and he couldn’t help but feel as if he was already winning. Sokka 1, Zuko 0.

~~~

Jin wishes that she was with anyone else right now. 

She wishes she could be with Zuko again, just chatting and laughing besides the pool about their shared love of animals.

She wishes she was with Sokka again, sharing sweet smiles as he taught her about the stars and spewed cheesy pick-up lines about how the stars were pretty, but she was better.

Hell, she wishes she was with Aang and Haru as they argued with each other about who had the best dog. 

But no, she was stuck with Hahn. Who would not shut up about how finances worked. Jin is hot! She doesn’t need to know about the stock market! Hahn should be talking about how interesting  _ she _ is, not money! 

Jin had tried cutting off the conversation as politely as she could at least four times by now, and she was starting to get pissed. She felt like Hahn was only treating her as a prize to be won, or as if he was the one that Jin should be trying to impress. 

“...so as I was saying, if you want to be with me you’re going to need to understand the intricacies of the-”

“Can we talk about something else? I think I’ve gotten a pretty good idea on what you do for work, but what about for fun? Any hobbies? Pets? Social life?” Jin was being generous. She was throwing Hahn a bone. She didn’t have to offer him a chance to save himself from this disaster of a conversation, but she did. And if he ruined it.

Well Jin knew she did all she could. 

But it wasn’t enough. He continued to drone on about how his job  _ was _ what he did for fun. Jin was about to rip her ears off. This guy was so pretentious and annoying, and she had had enough of that in her life. Jin saw how miserable her father was with her mother due to her obsession with her job. She only saw her parents truly happy for the first time three weeks after her mother retired and  _ finally _ went on the month long tour of Europe her father had been begging to go on with her. She loved her parents and was so glad that they were finally happy, but Jin didn’t care about financial stability in the same way her mom had, so she needed to get rid of Hahn ASAP.

“...and the whole point of investment capital is…”

A deep maroon suit and familiar scar passed the doorway of the secluded room. Jin’s heart skipped a beat as she saw the elegant stride that belonged to none other than Zuko.

This was her chance to escape. She didn’t bother with niceties or bidding Hahn farewell. She jumped up and nearly tripped as she sprinted towards the door.

“Zuko! So glad I caught you,” he jumped slightly at her approach, “I’ve been meaning to speak to you actually,” she lied. She had already gotten a good enough impression on him earlier, and she still had a bunch of men who she hadn’t had one on one time with yet, but she knew Hahn could probably hear her still.

“Jesus Jin,” Zuko looked startled, his eyes were wide and Jin felt just a tad guilty for sneaking up on him like that, but his face eased into a somewhat more relaxed smile, “You really snuck up on me there.”

She threaded her arm through his one more time and forced him to pick up their pace as she fled from the room where she was trapped with Hahn.

“I’m really very sorry about that, but I had to get away from Hahn as fast as I possibly could.”

Zuko tensed in her grip, “Hahn? Did he do something to you?”

His voice had changed from the soft, sweet, tone that he had held with her for most of the evening into something darker; something angry. Jin realized belatedly that her quick escape and desperate attempt to leave Hahn’s boring financial speak may have come across as something much more sinister than the stock market.

“Oh! Oh no, it was nothing like that,” Zuko was still slightly on edge, but his stance softened a bit as they continued to walk, “He was very kind and sweet, but he kept on going on and on about taxes or whatever and I needed an excuse to escape.”

“Good, good.” Zuko still seemed slightly more closed off than he had been all night. Jin had noticed him tense a tiny bit again when she said Hahn was kind and sweet, maybe Zuko was just jealous of the competition? Either way she wasn’t a fan of how quiet she was being right now.

“Is everything alright?” she squeezed on his bicep a tiny bit. He looked over at her with wide eyes, as if he wasn’t expecting that question.

“Oh, um, yes everything is, uh, everything’s fine it’s just that,” his expression faded into something more sheepish, “you kinda caught me at a bad time, um, I was actually just headed towards the bathroom and I, um-”

“Oh gosh, why didn’t you say anything!” Jin laughed, “Don’t let me hold you up, I’ll see you again later, kay?”

Zuko nodded and kissed her on the cheek before jogging down to where the bathrooms were. Just as Jin was about to make her way to the main room again and find someone new to get to know she was stopped by the executive producer Toph who seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

“I need to talk to you, and I have a feeling you may not be a fan of what I have to say, but this is a reality show, and I gotta do what’s best for ratings.”

Jin was taken back at how fast Toph could get to the point sometimes. Jin didn’t even get a chance to say “hello” or “how’s your night going Toph?” Jin liked Toph she really did, but Jin also loved small talk and Toph seemingly did not.

“It’s nothing bad is it?” Jin asked.

“Depends on how you take it: You need to give Hahn a rose tonight, regardless of how you feel about him.”

Alright, that wasn’t the  _ worst _ news in the world, Jin knew the producers would be orchestrating some of her choices after all, but she hated knowing that she could have used his rose on someone else. Jin wasn’t going to keep him by her own volition, and it seems like Toph knew that.

“Can I ask why?” 

“He is reality tv  _ gold _ , I’m going to need you to play nice with him for a few weeks before sending him off, I can already tell that you don’t really vibe with the guy, but holy  _ shit _ our ratings will go through the roof with the footage we already have on him, and it’s still only night one,” Toph’s grin was absolutely devious.

_ Is Toph talking about the same guy I just had a 10 minute conversation about the stock market with? Because that was  _ not  _ tv gold. _

“And this is Hahn you’re talking about? Not someone else more, I don’t know, interesting?”

Toph’s excited expression didn’t falter, it was like she knew something Jin didn’t.

_ To be honest, she probably  _ does _ know something you don’t Jin. _

“Trust me, that man is everything. Now, in other news it’s time to give out the first impression rose, but I won’t tell you who to choose for that one. Go have fun kid, I’ll see you later for the rose ceremony,” and with that Toph left as quick as she appeared.

Jin felt bad enough for sneaking up on Zuko twice already tonight, but she had a feeling he would be in a very good mood when she found him again...

~~~

Despite the initial shock and bitterness of losing the first impression rose to Zuko (which was totally fishy considering they basically already knew each other thanks to Zuko’s grandpa or whatever) Sokka was feeling very confident as Toph led the men into the Rose Ceremony room.

He knew that he had a connection with Jin. He knew it in the way their hands kept finding ways to touch each other as he pointed out constellations to her. He knew it in the way he could see her blush at each one of his corny jokes. He knew it in the way she kissed his cheek before parting ways with him on the balcony. He just  _ knew. _

Sokka’s confidence was not unfounded, seeing as he received the first rose of the ceremony, hugging Jin with a grin on his face before making his way over to stand next to Zuko.

“Congrats,” Zuko whispered to him as he made his way over.

“Thank you,” Sokka responded,”you know, it’s nice knowing that I made an impression all on my own without any help from my grandfather.”

Zuko scowled at him and responded with a terse, “she knows my uncle, and we have literally never met before, so could you grow up and let go of whatever conspiracy theory you have going on in your mind?”

“Sounds like something a guilty man would say.”

“You are a child.”

Before Sokka could respond with something equally petty he felt a sharp tug on his sleeve. He and Zuko were both being pulled down by their jackets to meet the frightening gaze of Toph.

“You two morons better shut the hell up before I have to re-film this entire ceremony, go it?”

The two men promptly shut up and watched the rest of the ceremony in silence.

Sokka’s mental list of the men who would stay was accurate the entire time. Aang. Haru. Teo. Jet. Chan. Ruon Jian. and a few names more that Sokka still hadn’t quite learned yet (he’d work on it, he really needed to stop referring to them as things like tiger king, baby face, and the other weasley)

It was down to the last rose, and Jin had looked mildly distressed. Sokka knew it wasn’t her fault that only one of these men got to stay, but he could tell that she felt guilty about it anyways. 

The tension in the room was palpable as the remaining men mentally accepted their fate or clung desperately to their hope. 

Jin took a deep breath before announcing the final contestant. Sokka felt himself shake with anxiety despite being safe. 

“...Hahn, will you accept this rose?”

Sokka’s jaw dropped. He looked around at everyone else, and he wasn’t the only one. He turned to Zuko to gauge his reaction, knowing that it definitely wasn’t good at this moment in time. 

“I’d love to,” Hahn said with a cocky smirk. 

Zuko stood there, lips pulled in a thin line, tilting slightly downwards. His eyes were pulled tight into a scowl, but he remained silent and composed, while many of the other men began furiously whispering to each other. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Sokka saw Toph hidden behind a camera man smiling devilishly. 

_ Oh you clever little shit. _

~~~

**@sidney_thee_stallion77**

WHAT THE FUCK!!?!??!?? HAHN!?!??!!? WHEN POOR NOAH WAS STILL THERE??!!?!?

#thebachelorette #fuckhahn #justicefornoah #jinsweetiewhatareyoudoing

**@rappysnap43**

Zuko getting the first impression rose was a given, but Haru will always have my heart. Rocky is the best boy Haru baby. 

#thebachelorette #haruuuuuu #rocky 

**@livlafluv878**

Sokka’s petty ass better win this whole thing. I can’t 🤣🤣

[ _ image id: GIF of Sokka Amaruq looking over his shoulder to stick his tongue out at Zuko Hidaka. Zoomed in clip of Zuko Hidaka, mouth agape, looking at him in shock. _ ]

**@sukisukisuki**

haha  **@thatsrightimasokka** looks like u didnt get the first impression rose like you thought. loser. u owe me 20 bucks bitch. 

**@thatsrightimsokka**

again. I thought we were friends suki. 

**@uncle_iroh**

**@zuko_hidaka** congratulations nephew! I got twitter for this!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter will come when it comes, but hopefully faster than this one took (again i am so sorry it has just been very stressful)
> 
> I love you all!!! :) <3

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! tumblr: hello-yue-here


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